Keronite®

Powdertech Surface Science has been the exclusive UK production partner of Keronite® for over ten years. In this time we have collaborated with the Keronite® technical team on coating various aluminium and magnesium alloys, installed Keronite® plant/equipment at our premises and used our expertise to manage many projects from initial concept through to production.

Powdertech has the largest fully automatic Keronite® line in the world, which is currently used to process premium aluminium wheels for the cycle industry.

The patented Keronite® process uses Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation (PEO) to transform the surface of light alloy aluminium and magnesium into a dense, hard ceramic with outstanding resistance to corrosion and wear.

The thin outer layer of the Keronite® ceramic surface is an ideal base for the application of powder top-coats. As Keronite® is anatomically bonded to the substrate alloy, the Keronite® ceramic layer has adhesion properties similar to the fracture strength of the alloy itself, reducing the risk of delamination of the coating.

Keronite® as a ceramic is inert to most chemicals/corrosive environments and performs extremely well in preventing corrosion of both aluminium and magnesium.

Keronite® on aluminium and magnesium is several times more wear-resistant than hard anodising.

The Keronite® layer grows both above and below the surface of the component being treated, in three distinct layers:

A thin intermediate layer of less than 1 micron providing a strong molecular bond between the metal substrate and the ceramic.

A hard dense functional layer of fused ceramic, which provides the protection against wear and corrosion.

An outer porous layer making up 10-20% of the total coating thickness, which acts as a perfect base for top coats.

Powdertech Bicester Ltd, a division of the highly successful Powdertech Group, has been established for over 30 years and provides specialist finishing services of the highest quality, geared to the demands of customers.